The Little Ninja
by BlueJay026
Summary: What happens when you mix Thorne's Halloween slime, Kook's magic, and the blue ninja together? You get a disastrous result. Will Kook and Thorne be able to fix the issue? Or will Shaiden have to wait a couple years for the problem to resolve itself?
1. Chapter 1

**Credit for this story goes to Lsgirl988. She gave me the idea. Hope she likes it, and the rest of you guys, too!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Splatalot. (Or Doctor Who.) I'm just a fan of both.**

It was another cool autumn day in the Kingdom of Splatalot. There were no Attackers today, so each Defender was busy doing their own thing.

The castle's alchemist, better known as Thorne, was in the lab, working on a new slime formula. Halloween was a week or so away, and Thorne wanted to create a new slime for the occasion. It wasn't going so well, however.

The new slime was supposed to be extra thick, orange, and smell like burning jack-o-lanterns. Thorne was able to make it thick and orange, but, for whatever reason, he couldn't figure out how to get the scent right. He spent all morning in the lab trying to perfect the formula, but had no success.

It was now twelve o' clock, and Thorne received yet another failed result. This slime formula had the right thickness and color, but instead of smelling like jack-o-lanterns, it seemed to make whatever it came into contact with smaller. Thorne groaned with frustration, then carried the beaker filled with the slime to another counter covered in previous failed attempts.

Just as Thorne walked back to his work station, he heard some faint jingling sounds coming from the hall. He felt his blood pressure shoot up even before his comrade opened the heavy door and stuck his head inside.

"Hello, Thorne!" he greeted, waving his hand, making the rings of his glove jingle even more.

Thorne growled, then turned around to the Australian Defender.

"Kook, get your face outta here, I'm busy!"

Kookaburra walked in anyways, then shut the door behind him. He lifted an eyebrow mischievously. "A bit testy today, aren't we?"

Thorne crossed his arms.

"I'm gonna start feeling more murderous than testy if you don't get outta here."

Kookaburra ignored his threat and smiled.

"I know what'll cheer you up," he declared. He held his fingers in a snapping position. "Some magic!"

Kook suddenly "snapped" flames from both his hands. He laughed.

"Now that's entertainment!"

"Not in the lab." The alchemist pointed at the door. "Out."

"Aw, come on, loosen up a little, mate!"

The bird happily pranced around the lab, "finger-snapping" flames everywhere he went. Thorne felt his blood pressure rise even higher. He was just about to yell at Kook again to leave when he noticed that the bird was too close to his failed slime formulas.

"No, Kook, that's highly flammable, don't-"

Too late.

A huge fire suddenly burst over the slime-covered counter. Kookaburra cried out with surprise, then started running around in circles.

"THORNE! FIRE! FIRE!"

The alchemist groaned loudly and face-palmed. "You have got to be kidding me!" he shouted, marching over to his fire extinguisher.

Meanwhile, Shaiden was making her way to the lab. She wanted to ask Thorne if she could borrow his Doctor Who DVD collection. She and the other female Defenders wanted to watch some sci-fi since Halloween was just around the corner.

The ninja had only stepped a foot into the hallway containing the lab when she heard a couple crashes and muffled shouts. She quickened her pace and stopped at the lab's metallic door.

"Thorne, what's going on in there?"

The sound of Kook's distinctive voice answered her question. The ninja rolled her eyes, then pushed the door open. When she stepped inside, she saw that Thorne had the fire extinguisher in his hands and was rushing to the bright flames while Kook was hopping around frantically.

"You see? This is exactly why I don't want any birds in my lab!" Thorne shouted, spraying the flames with the extinguisher's steam.

As Thorne put the fire out, the hot orange slime oozed onto the floor. He glanced at it, then took a step back when it threatened to cover his boots.

"Now I have to clean this up!" he grumbled.

"I'll get it!" Kook declared, running for a pile of slime sticks.

"No, no, no, don't touch anything!" Thorne shouted.

Kook ignored the alchemist's request and pulled a slime stick from the lab's corner. He then ran over to the mess and began sucking up the spilled slime from the floor. Once Thorne got the flames under control, he put the fire extinguisher down, then stomped over to Kook. He grabbed the stick.

"Give it to me!" he ordered.

Kook kept hanging on. "Just let me-"

"You've already done enough damage! Let go!"

The two stubbornly battled for the slime stick for about half a minute. While they fought, Kook accidentally squirt the hot orange slime out of the weapon. And guess who it landed on.

An agonized scream rang through the lab. The two Defenders whipped their heads in Shaiden's direction.

"DID YOU JUST SLIME ME?" the ninja yelled.

Kook gasped and covered his mouth.

"Shaiden, don't move!" Thorne commanded, letting go of the slime stick. "Kook, get some water, now!"

Kook obeyed without hesitation. He darted to the lab's sink and filled up a nearby bucket with cold water. Then he sprinted over to Shaiden and tossed the water onto her.

Thorne quickly waved through the smoky air, then turned on the lab's fan. Then he opened a window to let more smoke escape. Once he did that, he ran over to the ninja, who had sank to the floor. Kook was already there, watching the ninja's movements through the smoke.

"Shaiden, are you okay?" the ninja's brother inquired.

Thorne and Kook heard a light sigh, then saw a the ninja's figure push herself up off the ground. It emerged from the clearing smoke. Suddenly, the two Defenders' jaws dropped. They stared at the ninja in shock as she brushed droplets of water off of her. After a long moment, Thorne was able to find his voice.

"Shaiden?"

His sister growled. "What?" She paused. "Why does my voice sound so high?"

Thorne couldn't believe what he was staring at. "Shaiden, you..."

"You look a _whole _lot younger than you did this morning..." Kook commented in a very quiet voice.

Shaiden cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

The ninja stared at her two shocked companions for a moment. _Wait a minute...why do they look so much taller than before?_

The ninja scanned the room and found a piece of glass that had been shattered during the commotion. She headed over to it, picked it up, and looked at her reflection. Her eyes widened. She yanked her head back towards the two male Defenders.

"What the heck happened?! I look like I'm ten years old!"

**I'll add more to this, later on. And I'll finish up the Hunger Games parody, but I'll have to finish my schoolwork, first.  
**  
**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Thorne and Kook stared down at the equally shocked ninja. She didn't look too different; just a whole lot shorter and smaller than before. Her face was still streaked blue, and her hair was still tied into a ponytail. Her eyes, however, looked bigger, rounder, and gave her a more of an "innocent" look.

Nevertheless, no matter how innocent she seemed, the ninja was NOT happy.

"What the heck did you do to me?!" Shaiden yelled.

Thorne turned and glared at Kook. Kookaburra subtly took a step back.

"Hey, don't look at me!" he said defensively.

Thorne crossed his arms. "Why not? It's your fault! I told you not to touch anything, and what do you do? You nearly burn down my lab!"

"Okay, okay, maybe...part of it is my fault..."

Thorne's eyes sparked like a fire. "PART of it?"

Kook backed up a little more, knowing that it was a matter of life or death when Thorne was angry. Kook started speaking quickly, half-not knowing what was coming out of his mouth. "It's not that big of a deal-"

"SHE'S TEN YEARS OLD!" Thorne screamed, throwing his arms up. "OF COURSE IT'S A BIG DEAL, YOU STUPID BIRD!"

Kookaburra jumped back. "A-Alright, yes! It's a big deal! B-But we'll fix it!"

"You better hope so! 'Cause if she's stuck like that, I'm gonna make sure that you get Sore Tail Syndrome!"

"Whoa, there's no need to do that!" Kook said quickly.

"Ah-hem!"

Thorne and Kook removed their eyes from each other and looked down at Shaiden, who had her arms crossed.

"Will you two just shut up and fix the problem? Change make back!" Shaiden stomped her right boot on the floor. "Now!"

Thorne and Kook stared at the little ninja. Now that she was younger, she wasn't very scary. Actually, she seemed more...well, adorable. Kook couldn't help but grin. He bent down to about the ten-year-old's height.

"Aw, she's so cute!"

Shaiden roared furiously and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!" Kook cried, grabbing his calf. "Hey! That was uncalled for!"

"THAT was uncalled for?!"

Shaiden lunged at Kook to strangle him, but he hopped out of the way before she could. She growled like a tiger, then chased him around the lab. The alchemist felt his blood pressure shoot up again.

"Alright, knock it off, you two!" Thorne ordered, knowing that one of them would break something sooner or later.

Kook ran back to Thorne and hid behind him. The alchemist angrily pushed him away just as Shaiden came into his reach. He grabbed hold of her, then began calming her down. After Shaiden's rage was under control, Thorne got back to discussing the problem.

"Alright, we need to change Shaiden back."

"Duh, I just said that!" Shaiden muttered.

Thorne shot his sister a look.

"Okay, so...Thorne, what was in that slime formula of yours?" Kook asked.

"My formula only made things shrink, it didn't make things any younger!"

"Well, something had to!" Kook declared, throwing his arms up.

The alchemist and the bird each paused to think. Suddenly, Kook's eyes brightened.

"Hey, maybe it was my magic!"

Thorne stared at the bird. His eye twitched. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. "You have got to be kidding me- Kook, there is no such thing as magic!"

"No, Thorne, really! I'm magical! It's in my blood; most kookaburras know how to do magic!"

Thorne felt a very strong urge to smack Kook upside the head. "Kook, your flames are not magical! It's just a trick! You're just using lighters!"

The bird shook his head. "I'm not using lighters, mate."

Kook showed his open hands, then "finger snapped" more flames.

"See? It's really magic!"

Thorne stared at the bird's empty hands. He wasn't one to get too excited about things, so he wasn't very amazed.

But just a little.

The alchemist sighed and rubbed his face. "Okay...bottom line is, Shaiden changed into a ten year old. We need to change her back into...an adult."

Kookaburra cocked his head. "But how do we do that?"

Thorne rubbed his chin. "Well...I'll probably have to make another slime formula to reverse the result...and..." _I can't believe I'm saying this._ "...I guess, add some magic to it."

Kook nodded. "Makes sense. Maybe a little bit of my magic and some of your science turned her into a ten-year-old."

"Or perhaps it only makes her look younger."

The observing ten-year-old groaned. "I don't care how it happened! Just change me back to normal or you're gonna feel the wrath of Shaiden!"

Kook looked at her, then laughed. "Aw, her English accent just makes her even cuter!"

The ninja, along with Thorne, glared hardly at Kook. Kookaburra, still smiling, looked from face to face, then sympathetically patted the alchemist's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Thorny; you're cute, too."

Thorne brutally slapped the bird's arm. "Shut it."

Kook stifled his groan, then watched as Thorne walked back to his work station.

"I'll get working on the new formula," he stated, pulling out more bottles of chemicals. He turned back to Kook, then pointed at the ninja. "And I want you to keep an eye on her!"

"Oh, what?" Shaiden groaned. "Come on! I can take care of myself!"

Thorne ignored his sister's whine. "Make sure she ain't mistaken for an Attacker! Now get out!"

"Thorne, I'm not three!" the ninja cried. "Don't make Kook babysit me! I'll be just fine!"

The alchemist looked at his sister seriously. "Shaiden, I don't know what that slime formula did to you. And until I do, I need someone to watch you to make sure that you're functioning properly." Thorne moved his gaze to Kook. "You make sure to tell me if she starts acting funny."

"You got it, Thorne."

"Now both of you, leave me alone so I can work on the new formula."

The ninja shot a look at her brother, then reluctantly followed Kook out the door. Out in the hall, after Kook shut the lab's door, he turned his attention to Shaiden.

"So, now that you're ten and I'm watching you..." Kookaburra grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Want any ice cream?"

The young ninja rewarded Kook's inquiry with an icy glare.

**Woo, this one was difficult. I don't know why, but it was. Okay, sorry if the characters weren't in character. I'll try to make the next chapter better.**

**Please review, and thanks for reading!**

**Canadians reading this, enjoy the second season premiere, tonight! Lucky!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Where is she, where is she, where is she?!_

Kook was running around the castle in a frenzy. Shaiden was gone. She had been within his sight about fifteen minutes ago, after they had gotten some ice cream, but then she disappeared. Kook didn't understand why she strongly wanted to be rid of him; he hadn't teased her THAT much, and she was Shaiden; she could handle it. Besides, she knew it was in the bird's nature to tease people. It just didn't make sense to him why she would suddenly be so sensitive.

Anyways, Kook had just checked the dungeon, the courtyard, the Stockade, the moat, the dining hall, Tinkor's Techni-Cave, and was now darting through the halls where three of the Defenders' bedrooms were located. Thorne's, Knightriss's, and Shaiden's to be exact.

Kook dared not enter Knightriss's room, and he knew that neither would Shaiden. He was less skeptical with Thorne's, and eventually forced himself to stick his head through the doorway. Shaiden wasn't in there. He quickly shut the door and paced over to Shaiden's. He bit his tongue as he contemplated entering or not.

"Hey, Kook."

Kook whipped his head around. He felt a mist of relief wisp through him when he saw long blond hair instead of a brown mohawk.

"Hey, Ballista," Kook said with a half-hearted wave.

"What's up?" the kilted huntress asked, casually crossing her arms.

Kookaburrad flapped his "wings" frustratedly. "Shaiden's hiding from me and I can't find her anywhere!"

Ballista laughed. "I don't blame her; I don't like being around you, either."

Kook made a face at the huntress, but didn't retaliate with a comment. He had to find Shaiden, and fast. He turned back to the ninja's door. He hesitated. He knew he wasn't allowed in the ninja's room.

"Ballista, can you check if Shaiden's in there?" he asked.

The huntress clasped her hand around the door's golden handle, gave it a twist, then swung the door open. She stuck her upper body inside and glanced a couple times around the room. She shook her head.

"Nope, she's not in there," Ballista said, shutting the door.

"Are you sure? She _is _a ninja, you know."

Ballista rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."

Kook sighed. "Alright. Thanks, Ballista."

The huntress nodded, then walked past Kook and out of the hall. After she was gone, Kookaburra started pacing back and forth. He ran his hand through his wind-blown, green hair.

_Where is she?!_ Kook screamed inside his head for the thousandth time.

Skabb's deep voice suddenly penetrated his thoughts.

"SURPRISE ATTACK! OUT ON THE MOAT!"

Kook lifted his head in a panic. He cringed. "...Found her..."

Without another word, Kookaburra whirled around and ran for the moat, accidentally tripping before he made it out of the hall.

Out on the moat, Shaiden was attempting to climb up the Slippery Slope while Knightriss and Skabb, who thought she was an Attacker, were shooting splat balls at her.

"You guys, it's me! Shaiden!" she shouted, dodging two more splat balls.

"This one's clever, Master Skabb," Knightriss said.

"WE'RE NOT FALLING FOR THAT, ATTACKER!" Skabb yelled before firing another slime ball.

The ninja ducked, which resulted in the splat ball just barely missing her face. "I'm serious! It's me! I'm Shaiden!"

"You're not Shaiden!" Skabb screamed back. "Shaiden's taller, and bigger, and not as annoying!"

The ninja bore her teeth at the barbarian, who just shot three more slime balls at her. Shaiden slipped down the Slope, but managed to keep herself from falling into the moat. Just as she started climbing back up again, Ballista and Gildar had made there way to the moat. Gildar stood by the Beastly Battle Axes with vaporizers in his hands, and Ballista ran up to Skabb and Knightriss.

"Alright, what've we got?" Ballista inquired.

"This Attacker's trying to trick us into believing she's Shaiden," Knightriss explained.

"That's because I AM Shaiden!" the ten-year-old shouted.

Ballista gazed at the ten-year-old carefully as Skabb fired again. She narrowed one of her eyes. _Hang on, is that really..._ Ballista shook her head. _Nah, that's just not possible._

"HOLD YOUR FIRE! HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

Knightriss and the huntress turned around to see Kook burst through one of the moat's blue doors. He ran up to them, then pointed out at Shaiden.

"That's not an Attacker, that's Shaiden!"

Ballista stared at Kook as if he had just said Gildar got rid of his mirror. "Kook, did you hit your head really hard or something? Are you actually falling for this?"

Kook shook his head vigorously. "No, really, that's Shaiden!"

Gildar cocked his head. "Is this one of your annoying practical jokes, again?"

"For once, Kook's not joking!" a new voice shouted.

Everyone looked up at the Defender's Douse. Thorne was leaning over the front of the wall, glaring at the four Defenders down at the Splatzooka.

"That's my sister!" he declared. "That's really Shaiden!"

Everyone stared at Thorne. If even _he_ said that the Attacker was actually Shaiden, then she must be.

"THAT'S Shaiden?" Ballista asked, shocked.

"YES!" Kook yelled. "I just told you!"

"And I just said so, myself!" Shaiden, who was now on the edge of the Mace Roll, shouted.

"Whoa, what happened to her?" Gildar inquired.

Before Kook or Thorne could answer, Skabb accidentally fired the Splatzooka again. A splat ball hit Shaiden's face. Shaiden cried out with surprise, lost her balance, then fell off the edge of the Mace Roll.

"Shaiden!" Kook cried.

The ninja disappeared into the moat's murky waters with a splash. Kookaburra stared the water's rippling surface, frantically waiting for Shaiden to reappear. Much to his relief, a moment later, the ninja's head emerged above the moat's surface, along with another familiar face.

"I've got 'er," Crocness announced. "Now someone help me get 'er up on dry land."


	4. Chapter 4

After Crocness and Thorne got Shaiden out of the moat, the Defenders went inside the castle and crowded into its large living room. Shaiden was sopping wet and shivering, so Thorne got her a blanket, Kook and Crocness lit up a fire in the fireplace, and Tinkor and Ballista worked on making some hot chocolate.

Before long, the living room lit up with a warm orange glow. By the time Shaiden's teeth stopped chattering, Tinkor and Ballista walked in with the finished hot chocolate. The Defenders each grabbed a mug, minus Thorne and Gildar. The huntress smirked as she handed a mug to Shaiden.

"Here's some hot chocolate for you, little girl!"

Shaiden glared at her as Ballista laughed.

"Ballista, what are you doing?" Skabb asked. He grinned mischievously. "You forgot the _mini _marshmallows!"

A couple Defenders laughed alongside the barbarian. The ninja growled at Skabb.

"Just shut up!" she yelled.

Gildar lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "That's a little rude for someone your age, isn't it?"

Shaiden full-on bore her teeth at the viking as everyone else (not counting Kook, Thorne, and Crocness) laughed even more. Normally, Kook would of contributed to the taunting and teasing, but Thorne's heavy glare restrained him from doing so.

"Alright, that's enough!" Crocness dangerously growled.

Everyone turned to the half-human, half-reptile. Crocness crossed her arms and eyed her surprised comrades scornfully. No one dared to say another word.

"Thorne, why don't you explain to us why Shaiden's ten years old?" she suggested, turning to the alchemist.

Thorne crossed his arms, then began. While he explained what had happened in the lab, from the fire to the slime, he made sure to shoot Kookaburra an angry look every ten seconds. Kook took a nervous sip of his hot chocolate every time Thorne did so.

"Good job, Kook," Ballista said sarcastically after Thorne finished the story.

"Hey, I didn't do it on purpose!" Kook replied defensively.

Thorne angrily stared at the bird for a minute longer, then turned to his sister. He glared at her chidingly.

"Shaiden, what were you doing out on the moat? You should of known better than that!"

Shaiden groaned and rolled her eyes. "I just felt like it, okay?"

"You FELT like it?" Thorne inquired irritantly. "What kind of an excuse is-"

Thorne froze. His eyes lit up with realization. "Hang on a minute..." the alchemist said slowly, rubbing his chin.

Thorne stared at the floor for a moment as he processed what had happened during the day. He thought about his sister's anger issues, desire for independence, and constant whining. He snapped his fingers together. "Shaiden, the formula not only messed with your physical stature, it's also messing with your head!"

The ninja cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"You're not acting like yourself, Shaiden; you've been rather hasty, and you've been acting like a smart aleck."

Shaiden narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it when she realized that she couldn't deny Thorne's declaration. He was right.

Gildar shrugged. "Not to mention immature, and annoying, and easily irritated, and-"

Crocness jabbed her elbow into Gildar's ribs, making him shut up. The water monster moved her gaze to the alchemist.

"How bad is it that formula messed with her head?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I suspect that it's nothing major. Besides the size and attitude changes, she's just fine."

Crocness nodded.

"How long is she going to stay like that, my boy?" Knightriss asked.

"For a couple years?" Ballista inquired.

"I better not!" Shaiden cried.

"Not if my new formula works," the alchemist stated. "I've finished it just as my sister was being pelted with splat balls, and now all I need is for her and Kook to come down to the lab."

"I'm there!" the ninja declared, jumping out of her seat.

Shaiden dashed into the hall, then skidded to a stop. She turned back towards her brother and the bird.

"Come on, hurry up!" the ninja yelled, stamping her foot impatiently. "Let's go!"

Kookaburra, amused, grinned and ran after the ninja. Thorne rolled his eyes, and strode close behind them.

**Just to be clear, I have nothing against ten-year-olds. But when you're younger, you just tend to act younger and stuff, so...but I don't mean to offend any ten-year-olds reading this. (Besides, you'll be eleven in another year or so.)**

Please review if you wish. I'll see how soon I can get the next chapter up.


	5. Chapter 5

Shaiden tore through the castle's halls, almost making it impossible for Kookaburra and Thorne to catch up with her. Though she was only ten, she was almost as fast as her adult self. In no time at all, the ninja reached the lab's metallic door. She skidded to a stop and paused to watch for the two male Defenders. As soon as she caught sight of Kookaburra, she pushed the lab's door open and entered.

Inside, after the bird and the alchemist appeared, Thorne shut the door, then motioned Kook over to his stove. While Kookaburra took his place there, Thorne collected the beaker of the new slime formula. He marched over to the stove and poured the neon orange mixture into a pot. The alchemist held the pot five inches above the stove, then placed his gloved hand over the knob.

"Alright, Kook, now pay attention: this is an electric ignition stove. Usually, all I need to do to turn on the flames is turn this knob. But I've turned off the electricity, so when I turn the knob, I'll need you to provide the spark to get it burning. That's how we'll get the magic element in with the new formula. You got that?"

Kook nodded. "Yep."

Thorne turned the knob. "Now do your magic and heat this stuff up."

Kook grinned, then held his fingers in a snapping position. He lowered them close to the burner, then snapped. Instantly, a violet-blue fire flickered on the burner, and Thorne lowered the pot on top of it.

"Woo, we're heating things up, baby!" Kookaburra cried before laughing.

While Thorne watched the slime, Kook kept his eyes on the flickering flames. Much to his amazement, the flames sparked green and purple for a couple seconds. Once the colors melted back into a deep blue, Thorne wrapped his fingers around the knob.

"That should do it," he said, turning off the flames.

"This is gonna work, right?" the Australian bird inquired.

"It better," Thorne growled, clasping his hand around a spoon to stir the formula with.

"On the bright side," Kookaburra said, "if this doesn't work, we can take the little sweetheart trick-or-treating!"

Thorne shot the laughing bird a look, then turned back to the slime. He stirred it for a minute, then looked back at his sister. He paced in front of her, then dipped the spoon into the formula. He pulled the spoon out, blew on it to cool the mixture, and held it out three inches from Shaiden's mouth.

"Shaiden, I want you to drink this."

The ten-year-old stared at the neon orange gunk. She wrinkled her nose and moved her eyes up to her brother.

"Can't you just toss it onto me like last time?"

"I wish," Thorne replied bitterly, earning a glare from the ninja. "Now open wide."

Shaiden looked back down at the mixture. She hesitated.

"Say, "ahhh!" Kook advised, grinning.

The ninja cringed, then did what Kook said. Thorne surged the spoon into her mouth, then yanked it out when the mixture had ran over his sister's tongue. Shaiden quickly swallowed, then found herself coughing and throwing her tongue out in disgust.

"This tastes like rotten pumpkins!"

"Yet I can't get it to smell like jack-o-lanterns," Thorne grumbled.

Once Shaiden finished gagging, she froze like a statue, then waited for something to happen. Thorne and Kook watched her intently, wondering what would happen next.

A long pause.

"Why isn't anything happening?" Shaiden asked, breaking the silence.

The two male Defenders looked at each other. Kookaburra shrugged.

"Maybe because it's cooler, it takes longer," he guessed.

"Possibly. And last time, all the formula had to do was make direct contact to her body to change her. This formula has to travel through her bloodstream." Thorne rubbed his chin. "We might have to wait overnight for any changes to take effect."

"Overnight?" Shaiden whined. "Really? Aw!"

Kook patted the ninja on the shoulder and smirked. "Don't worry, Shaiden; I've got a bedtime story lying around here somewhere."

***

The next morning, just as the first few rays of golden sunlight began to flood over the Kingdom of Splatalot, Kook was up. He "flew" faster than a hummingbird through the castle's hallways, and found that he was the first at Shaiden's bedroom door. He tapped her door in an eager manner.

"Shaiden, are you awake?" he called. "Did the formula work?"

"You tell me."

Kook whirled around in surprise. Standing in front of him was the shadowy Shaiden. His mouth curled into an ecstatic smile.

"Shaiden!" he cried, throwing his arms up. "You're an adult again!"

The adult Shaiden nodded and put herself in a ninja pose. "I guess the formula worked."

"All it took was some science and magic!" the bird declared. Kook finger-snapped more flames to emphasize his point.

Shaiden shook her head. "You're such a pyromaniac," she stated, straightening herself up.

Kook chuckled, then stared into Shaiden's deep brown eyes. His gaze then shifted to her whole face, and he thought to himself for the thousandth time how pretty she was.

As Kook stared at her admiringly, the events from the day before suddenly flooded his mind. He instantly remembered that what had happened was primarily his fault.

"Uh, Shaiden?"

The ninja crossed her arms and silently gave the bird her undivided attention.

"I uh, um, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused," Kook apologized. "I never meant to turn you into a ten-year-old."

Shaiden stayed silent for a moment, thinking carefully and watching the surface of Kook's eyes. To the bird, it felt like a couple hours before the ninja finally spoke.

"You know what? It's fine. I know you didn't do it on purpose."

"I didn't. Honestly, I really, really didn't."

Shaiden nodded coolly. "I know."

Kookaburra shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "So...we're good?"

The ninja nodded. "We're good."

Kookaburra grinned with relief.

"But if you _ever_ do that to me again," Shaiden said, arching forward and dangerously narrowing her eyes, "I'm gonna make sure that the Attackers aren't the only ones being booted out of the castle."

Kookaburra took a cautious step back, then nodded. "Fair enough."

Just at that moment, the two heard heavy boots pounding towards them. They turned to see the Defender with the maniacal mohawk and blue-streaked face.

"Morning, Thorne," Shaiden greeted.

"Morning," Thorne replied, crossing his arms. "I see that the formula worked."

Shaiden nodded.

"How do you feel?" the alchemist asked, surveying his sister with a careful eye.

The ninja placed herself in another ninja pose. "I'm feeling much like my old self, again."

"No more immaturity issues?"

Shaiden rolled her eyes. "No."

"That's a relief."

Shaiden rolled her eyes again, then stood up. Thorne smiled slightly, then patted his sister's shoulder. "Good to have you back."

The ninja smiled. "Good to be back."

A moment later, Kookaburra's nose detected a faint scent. He sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up.

"Ooh, I smell something cooking!" he declared, smiling.

Shaiden lifted her nose into the air.

"Pancakes?" she guessed.

No sooner had the ninja said "pancakes," the kookaburra had spun on his heels and dashed for the dining hall, leaving the two siblings by themselves. They looked at each other in silence. Thorne shook his head, then started for the dining hall, himself.

"Thorne?"

The alchemist turned to his sister, who gave him a sweet smile.

"May I borrow your Doctor Who DVDs?"

Thorne's eyes widened defensively. "Oy, now hang on a minute!"

Shaiden smirked at her brother's response. "It's almost Halloween; I need to watch some sci-fy."

"Isn't watching Tinkor walk around the castle with a blender good enough?"

Shaiden placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. Thorne stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"Fine. But not season four; I wanted to show Skabb the Silence in the Library episode."

**A/N: Stay tuned: I've got one more chapter planned. **


	6. Chapter 6

It was finally Halloween evening. The Defenders were getting ready for the Attackers, who, instead of coming to the Kingdom of Splatalot to capture the crown, were coming for some candy.

The castle was almost ready. Crocness and Ballista were putting up the final decorations around the kingdom as red, orange, and yellow leaves blew around them. The air was cool and smelled like smokey pumpkins and burning firewood.

Kookaburra was near the Beastly Battle Axes, filling multiple buckets with Thorne's finally finished Halloween slime. He had a mischievous grin plastered onto his face, and almost nothing could take it off. He was extremely excited to dish out some tricks on the Attackers.

As he continued with his task, he heard some splashing noises from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Crocness climbing up the first Callous Column from the moat.

"The moat looks fantastic, Crocness!" Kook called.

"I know, it does," Crocness replied with a grin. The water monster stood atop the Column, then observed the buckets surrounding the busy bird. "Is all that another one of your classic Halloween tricks?"

The bird laughed. "Yep!"

"Crocness, how does the Splatzooka look?"

The half-human, half-reptile looked over to see Ballista standing behind the said weapon. It was covered with fake cobwebs and oozing with neon green slime. The short wall it stood behind was also covered in cobwebs, and even a few spiders. A couple baseball-size pumpkins were sitting on the wall's corners.

"It looks great, Ballista," Crocness replied.

Ballista smiled and tossed her head. The two ladies looked over at Kook and watched as he filled up the last bucket, then collect it into his hands. He turned to the female Defenders, his eyes sparkling excitedly.

"Those Attackers are gonna get one heck of a surprise!" Kook laughed.

Ballista smirked, then watched as Kook rushed around the moat to get to the very top of the castle. After he disappeared, Crocness placed one hand on her hip and observed the castle, checking to make sure everything was in place. The moat was extra green, the scary ogre bones were out, the spider webs were up, and everything else managed to send a chilly feeling up anyone's spine. When she was satisfied, she nodded and looked up at the blond archer.

"Kook's got the tricks, now all we need are the treats," she declared.

Ballista nodded. "I've asked Gildar to get some candy. I'll go see if he followed through."

The huntress turned on her heels and strutted into the castle. After checking the dining hall, she found Gildar sitting in the large living room. He was holding his mirror five inches from his face, intensely studying his handsome reflection.

"Gildar, did you get the candy?" Ballista asked, leaning against the entryway and crossing her arms.

"Yes, I did," the vain viking replied, still gazing at his face.

Ballista glanced around the room. Confused, she narrowed one eye and looked back at Gildar. "Then where is it?"

Gildar set down his mirror and turned to the huntress. "You're looking at it."

Ballista rolled her eyes and groaned.

"This is eye candy, Ballista," Gildar stated, outlining his face with his finger. "Getting the chance to look at me is a treat already."

The huntress facepalmed. "Gildar, I told you to get actual candy! The edible, tasty, not annoying kind!"

Gildar frowned indignantly, then looked back at his mirror. His reflection instantly erased his offended frown. "But, just so you know," the viking stated after a moment, "I _did_ replace the crown with a bucket full of candy. And I think Thorne's busy tossing candy all over the courtyard and the Stockade." He looked at Ballista smugly. "You're welcome."

The archer paused, then lifted an eyebrow. "Did you put your face on the bucket, as well?"

Gildar gave her a curious look. "Why wouldn't I?"

Just then, the leader of the Defenders appeared in the entryway alongside Ballista.

"In the courtyard, my dears!" she declared. "The Attackers are coming!"

Ballista clutched her Splatbow, then followed Knightriss through the hall. Gildar shot himself an encouraging smile, put his mirror away, stood up, and followed after the two ladies out of the castle.

***

"Tinky's pumpkin!"

Shaiden looked over the table at the inventor, who was looking at the carved pumpkin in his hands with pride. Shaiden smirked, then looked back down at her own pumpkin.

"That's great, Tinkor," she said, stabbing her dagger into another place of the pumpkin. "Go put it out with the rest."

"Okay!"

Tinkor quickly stumbled out of the Techni-Cave, leaving Shaiden by herself. Shaiden skillfully drove her dagger around the design she drew, being careful not to make a mistake. Just as she was about to carve out the very last part, Skabb's voice shook the entire castle.

"THE ATTACKERS ARE COMING!"

The ninja glanced at the door, then slightly quickened the speed of her hand. In no time, her pumpkin was done. She quickly put her dagger away, stuck a candle in the hollowed-out squash, then carried it outside.

Outside, she, Tinkor, and Thorne started arranging the pumpkins all around the castle. Kook helped out by lighting the candles inside each one. The majority of the pumpkins had the Splatalot logo carved into them. Gildar carved his face into one of them, and Skabb had smashed a gigantic hole in another one.

Minutes later, the castle was outlined with glowing orange pumpkins. The sun had set, and the moon had taken its place, filling the night sky with bright, pale rays. The Defenders gathered in the courtyard, ready to begin.

"Everyone ready?" Knightriss asked.

Positive screams filled the peaceful silence. The leader grinned, then lifted her fist into the air.

"Alright, then let's get started!"

The Defenders shouted once more, then eagerly took off to their battle stations, ready to give the Attackers the scare of their lives.

The skilled alchemist stood before the Beastly Battle Axes, gripping vaporizers in his hands. As he waited, he looked around the moat, then up at the moon in the sky. The wind blew, and he took a deep breath of the cool air. As the air filled his lungs, he felt a sudden burst of energy and excitement shoot through his soul.

Thorne cackled evilly. "Happy Halloween!"

**...Now this story is done. And yeah, it's not Halloween anymore, but I just wanted to do this last part anyways.**

**Hope you enjoyed it! If you want, please leave a review, telling me whether or not you hated it, or what could be improved, and stuff like that.**

**I've got an idea for some Christmas stories, so keep a look out for them.**

**Alright, thanks for reading!**

**By the way, I was thinking about my country and stuff today, and I wanted to say one thing: I know that things look bad in the world right now, and that it's hard not to worry about it. Heck, I'm starting to get worried about my country more than I usually do. But here's a good thing: God doesn't want us to worry, He wants us to trust in Him. If you have a concern, just take it to Him. Try it. He loves you and wants to help you.**


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